It is well known that drain pipes of wash basins, sinks, showers, baths and the like, such as floor drains, may become partially or completely blocked from time to time by material which has entered the drain pipe of a sink, bath or the like. Many different kinds of apparatus have been proposed for unblocking such drain pipes, particularly those having an accessible open end. For example, there is a well known plunger which has a rubber-like bell member which is placed over the open end of the blocked drain pipe, the bell member having a handle which enables the bell member to be moved up and down to apply pressure to blocked liquid in the pipe. However, it is frequently not possible to unblock a pipe with such a plunger because it does not enable a sufficient pressure to be applied. Another kind of apparatus for unblocking pipes is inserted into the blocked pipe and held therein by hydraulic pressure, with liquid under pressure being supplied from a convenient source, such as an adjacent faucet, through the apparatus to the blocking material. A problem with such apparatus is that it is usually not suitable for use by the average person but requires operation by a professional.
Such drains pipes, although not blocked, may also retain bacteria or other undesirable matter which it would be desirable to flush away.
It is therefore an object of the invention to provide drain flushing apparatus which is readily operated by an average person to clear a blocked drain pipe and/or to flush undesirable matter therefrom.